The Future of Creative Work

Work in live performance is characterized by multiplicity, fluidity and for many, precarity in the eponymous ‘gig economy. COVID-19 and Brexit might be thought of as ‘crises within a crisis’ in this sense. Both have revealed and accentuated structural and sectoral inequalities bringing about an immediate threat to the livelihoods of performers, many of whose working lives were already financially precarious, highlighting the value but also the vulnerabilities of creative work. Coupled with this, ongoing concerns have been raised, particularly by professional bodies, about the impact of the pandemic, and of Brexit, on a social justice agenda and on support infrastructures for those working in no/low pay contexts. 

Our research explores questions such as: How is the nature, meaning and experience of ‘live’ entertainment and performance changing, and what impact are these changes likely to have on the future of creative work? What is needed to develop and maintain the necessary infrastructure for a fair, equitable and sustainable future for creative work, and workers?

• Performing during/after lockdown: A study of the impact of COVID-19 on self-employed live performers in the UK
• Philip Hancock and Melissa Tyler in Essex Business School lead this British Academy funded research project documenting the impact of COVID on self-employed live performers. The research, running from October 2020 to September 2022, reports not only on performing during the pandemic but also on what performers and the industry might need in order to secure a sustainable future for live performance in the UK. 
• Holly Maples in the East 15 Acting School is the lead on a UKRI ESRC funded project examining the impact of COVID-19 on UK Theatre Freelancers from July 2020 - January 2022. The project examines the pre-existing precarity within the UK theatre industry for freelance artworkers investigating transformations to the workforce, digital practice and internal scrutiny on wider industry precarity and inequality from members of the industry.

Our research is carried out in consultation with:  

• Equity
• The Musicians’ Union 
• Freelancers Make Theatre Work